The Girls of Fairy Block
by kurisu313
Summary: A story set in a women's prison. The newly incarcerated Lucy Heartphilia struggles to survive in the environment, befriending Levy McGarden, a girl with a life sentence. On top of that, her past seeks to catch up to her. Heavily based on 'Orange is the New Black'. Nalu and Gale (Minor Jerza/Gruvia)... along with some mild yuri. Try to update every Friday.
1. The First Night is the Hardest

**The Girls of Fairy Block**

**Chapter 1**

**The First Night is Always the Hardest**

"Lucy Heartphilia."

Her name had never sounded so rotten, like a death sentence. Perhaps that was slightly melodramatic, but she couldn't be physically all that far from death row. After all, Magnolia Penitentiary had to be the largest female prison in the country. Surely they had a place to conduct executions? Stop it Lucy, your thinking is too bleak.

"Lucy Heartphilia."

The guard at the desk looked annoyed now, and Lucy made to step forward. She was held back by the tight grasp of her boyfriend's hand around her own. Natsu, her ever-positive, ever-happy boyfriend had never looked so sad, like his life was ending. She hugged him tightly and whispered into his ear.

"It's only going to be eighteen months. I'll see you soon, yeah?"

"I already miss you."

"Me too, babe, me too."

"Lucy Heartphilia!" The tone said that this was the last call. The next one would involve physical contact. Lucy hurried across the to prison guard behind the desk. He was an older gentleman with a neatly trimmed moustache. His nametag read 'Macao Conbolt'.

"Um… hi, I guess that I'm Lucy," she said timidly. She didn't really know what to expect. How many people walked into a prison knowing what to expect? Macao laid a tray on the desk, telling her to put all of her valuables on it. All Lucy had brought was a few dollars and bits of identification that she'd need when she was released. While she was doing that, Macao had dumped a pair of slippers and awful, pale grey scrubs on the counter.

"You will take these clothes and head through the gate. There is a changing room. You will change and leave your clothes with the attendant there. Then you will proceed through the second gate to the shuttle outside. I suggest that if you have anything to say to your beau here, you do it now."

Lucy turned to Natsu, and it felt like there was an enormous gap between the pair, an insurmountable distance. Despite that, Natsu marched across it and hugged her fiercely, taking his turn to whisper to her.

"I promise that I'll wait. I'll be here for you, I promise."

Trying to stifle her tears, Lucy nodded dumbly and turned to go through the gate.

**===][===**

Lucy exited through the second gate out into the cold winter air. The scrubs felt stifling despite their lightness, as they removed all sense of individuality. Worse was her current lack of socks, making her feet freeze.

Outside waited a shuttle bus with the logo of the prison printed on it. The driver waited, leaning against the door. Lucy was surprised to see the woman was in scrubs too, though she had a jacket and boots to augment that. Did they make convicts drive the bus here? The woman had beautiful fiery red hair drawn back in a loose ponytail.

"Jeez, just a single new meat today?" She asks crassly. "Is today goody-two shoes day or something?"

"Um… sorry? Is there normally more?"

The red head shrugged. "Usually three or four. Most I ever had was six. Now, since I guess that you don't want to get frostbite, I suggest we get on our way."

Oh sweet merciful Jesus, the inside of the van was blessed warmth. Lucy sat quietly in the back as the woman who called herself Erza rattled on and on about some of the rules and a few quick pointers. Rule number 1: never ask someone what crime they committed. Everyone here was innocent, of course. They were all driving to church, took a wrong turn and ended up in prison.

Rule number 2: never fuck with anyone. Ever. Particularly the girls from C-block. Lucy learned there were three blocks to Magnolia prison, A, B and C. She was going to A-block, the same place that Erza came from, and known affectionately as Fairy Block by the inmates.

Rule number 3: watch your back at all times. Some of the people in here were just nasty people. Others were desperate and might want your stuff. Another hazard of the prison is that it seemed to breed the worst kind of lesbians. Lucy hadn't thought that the old adages about dropping, soaps and showers would apply to a women's institution. Also, some of the prison guards took delight in tormenting the inmates, and unlike the inmates, retribution there was suicide.

"Commissioner Makarov's a nice guy," Erza concluded, "and Macao and Wakaba are pussycats when you get to know them. Watch out for Giemma, Jose and Ivan, though. Particularly Ivan. He's fond of conjuring reasons for a full body search."

Lucy shuddered. She'd never even considered the feds to be one of her problems. "What about the other girls? What are they like?"

"There's about two hundred of us at any one time. About half of those are here for short stays, so we never really get to know a lot of them. But most of the old hands from Fairy Block are alright. B-Block's full of snitches and narks, though. And definitely watch out for C-block. You seem like a nice girl, probably in for running a red light or something. You don't want to mess with them. Some of their lifers are terrifying, and I don't scare easy!"

"Umm… how long have you been in here?"

"About three years now. Seen a lot of faces come and go in that time. If you're in A-Block, you're one of mine, and I'll look after you as long as you play the game. Don't fuck me, you hear?"

"Yes… yes, I hear."

"Good. As I say, you look like a sweet girl. You read much?"

"Yes, I like books. I… I was… I mean, I am an aspiring writer."

"Really? That's great. You need to meet Levy. Sweetest girl in the whole place. Shame she's a lifer. No justice in this world kid, I tell ya, no justice. She runs our library. She'll be glad to have another egghead around for company. You look like the lefty, liberal type. You believe in the big guy upstairs?"

"Um…I…" Lucy floundered, unsure of what to say. Erza held up a hand.

"Say no more. But inside those four walls, you believe, you hear me? Life's just easier if you turn up to the sermons and nod your head along like the good little sheep that we're all supposed to be." Lucy nodded to the words, still finding it hard to talk.

The shuttle pulled up at the main gate and as Lucy got back out into the numbing air, she looked up at the enormous, razor-wire tipped fences and the guard towers. This was it, she was actually in prison. There was nowhere to run anymore.

**===][===**

The youngest of the prison guards was a man in his early twenties called Gray Fullbuster. He was generally liked by the girls for being one of the kinder guards – as well as being young and attractive. He always tried to ignore the occasional catcall or whistle, understanding that these women were very pent-up and just looking for some release.

Although some were more obsessive than others.

"Juvia, what are you doing?" The blue-haired woman jumped, having been peeking around the corner at Gray. Or more precisely, Gray's posterior. She turned to peer at the woman who had spoken to her, a petite little thing with similarly coloured hair. She clutched a book to her small frame, as usual. Juvia instantly turned back to watch Gray.

Levy sighed a little. Juvia was a borderline basket case. Compared to some of the sentences here, Juvia's was light. She'd be out by Easter if she didn't do something stupid and get an extension. Now, according to Erza's best guess, Juvia was probably in for stalking or something equally creepy. The goal of Fairy Block was to prevent her from doing that stupid thing, so as to not miss her exit date.

The smaller blunette eyed Juvia up and down, trying to see if there were any suspicious bulges in her scrubs. Something that might warrant a pat-down from Gray. She'd tried that before. For the moment, she appeared to be clean.

"You know that he's a guard, right? He's not allowed to date an inmate. That'd be an abuse of his power. So… if you want to date him, you need to stay clean and wait until your release. Then, he's allowed to date a citizen, creepy though she may be." Juvia watched until he rounded the corner at the end of the corridor and sighed contentedly. Levy smiled wryly, her mouth twitching into a small grin. "You know, just talking to him politely would be so much better, you need to set the ground work so he sees you as a good girl."

"Oh! How long have you been there, Levy?"

"You didn't even see me!?" Levy shrilled, quite offended. She shook her head irritably. "I came to get you, since Erza should be back soon. There'll be another girl in the Block. I thought that you might want to say hi."

"Juvia thinks that is a good idea. She needs to warn the new girl to stay away from her man."

**===][===**

Lucy followed Erza nervously, trying to stay behind her, since the girls walking the corridors seemed to avoid being in the red head's way. However, they all seemed to be very interested in the 'new meat'. She was struck by how 'normal' they mostly seemed. A few were tattooed to high heaven or sported bizarre hairstyles, but most looked like they could just be your normal girl next door. And any of them could be a murderer.

Eventually, they came into a long hall. There were lots of partitions along the two long walls, each shorter than a person so you had unobstructed view. Each partition contained a bunk on each side. Lucy assumed it was so that there was always someone watching over you.

"Yo Erza, who's the buxom blonde?" A tall brunette called lustily with a large, cheeky grin. Lucy blanched, remembering the warnings about the feral sexuality that sprung up in places like this. Erza caught the expression.

"Don't be worried about Cana, she's harmless while sober. And the length of her sobriety is coincidently the same as the length of her incarceration."

"Tell me about it," Cana replied, rolling her eyes. "I swear, the first thing I'm doing once I get out of here is to party as hard as humanly possible. My liver won't know what hit it!"

"Indeed," Erza muttered wryly. They continued walking down the room with a couple of curt introductions to a few girls. Lucy tried to remember some of the names she'd heard. Mira, Laki, Kinana. None of whom seemed like criminals. Then again, she didn't really seem like one herself, did she?

A woman with blue curls and dark eyes stepped in front of Lucy, startling her. "Umm… hi?"

"Stay away from Juvia's man. That is all." And just like that, the woman had gone, leaving Lucy absolutely perplexed. Erza simply chuckled, as if that was perfectly normal and acceptable behaviour in here. They carried on until they reached a partition near the middle.

"Okay, this is your bunk," Erza announced. Lucy looked at the little cot with dismay. A simple, thin mattress on top of a metal frame. A linen blanket and pillow was all that adorned it. There was a little metal cabinet at the back, but she was currently staring at everything that she could say that she owned. Erza carried on, clearly aware of the distress she was feeling. "And this is your bunkmate, Levy. Levy meet Lucy."

Lucy looked over to the other bed, on which sat a small, blue-haired girl. She sprang up to her feet, and her height barely changed. She had large and clear eyes, which gave her a dazzling smile. She shook Lucy's hand warmly.

"Nice to meet you, Lu!" She said, instantly shortening her name. Now, Lucy was thoroughly puzzled. This was the cutest thing she'd ever seen. Why on Earth would she be in this damned place? Erza had called her a lifer earlier. How was that possible? Her thoughts were interrupted as Erza clapped her on the back.

"Well, I'll let you get settled in. Don't worry, Levy will take good care of you. She's the sweetest thing in these four walls – though I'm sure that Juvia would disagree." Erza leaned in. "The first night's the hardest. You'll get through it, okay?"

"Inspection!" A deep voice barked. The girls all scurried to stand next to their bunks. Lucy looked around blankly, but Levy pushed her into the correct position, urging her to stay still and quiet. A security guard entered Lucy's line of sight, a tall man with a bushy beard. This was Ivan Dreyar, one of the guards on A-Block.

He advanced languidly down the row, not appearing to be looking for anything. Had he called for inspection just because he was bored? He stopped by Juvia, who was looking at the floor.

"Hey now, I've seen the look you give one of our boys, why won't you give me the same puppy-dog eyes?" Ivan said in a sickly tone.

"Juvia… Juvia does not know," she replied evasively, not making eye contact. Ivan merely chuckled and carried on down the line. What a pervert, Lucy thought bleakly. This was the man in charge of her now? Ivan stopped by Erza and met her eyes. Perhaps wisely, he carried on.

"Pedo-bait, you were slow getting into position. Explain."

"Please don't refer to me as that," Levy asked in a thin, purposefully neutral voice.

"Answer the damn question."

"I was merely trying to help the new girl find her position before I took my own."

"Ah?" Curiosity flared in Ivan's eyes as he looked over at Lucy, who went rigid in fear. He actually licked his lips in a disgusting display as he eyed her up and down. "Damn, you look tasty, new girl. I look forward to your first body search. Such lovely melons will need me to dig deep to make sure that you're clean."

Lucy gulped at the thought. In a moment, Ivan had passed, but it left her trembling. Oh god, what was she in for!? How on Earth was she going to survive the next eighteen months? Natsu, I wish you were here to protect me!

**===][===**

Natsu lay in bed, the streetlight outside illuminating the room. He could have pulled the curtains, but he didn't really feel like sleeping anyway. He reached over to the empty side of the bed. As he watched his hand touch the nothingness, he could see the glint of his engagement ring. Frustrated by the reminder he instead placed the hand on his head to ruffle his hair in annoyance.

"Oi, Happy. Aren't you gonna give a lonely guy some company?" The sleeping cat on the floor made no response. Typical. Normally he'd be fighting Lucy for her pillow. Now, he didn't care at all. Probably only wanted it because Lucy was there in the first place. Natsu sighed and collapsed back onto his pillow.

It's just day one. There's still five hundred and thirty nine to go. And, he assured himself, it was nothing compared to what Lucy must be going through now.

**===][===**

"Levy!" Erza hissed urgently from across the hall. "You can't be out of your bunk after lights out! It'll be trouble if you're caught!"

Levy shook her head back at Erza. Lucy was crying, and Levy would not let go of her hand. The first night was always the hardest, and Lucy just needed a little bit of comfort. It wasn't too much to ask. Suddenly, lights flickered on and a guard entered the room. Ivan Dreyar. With a squeak, Levy hurled herself into her bed. At least Ivan wouldn't have line of sight over the partitions.

"I don't know who's crying in here, but people are trying to sleep!" He shouted. Erza simmered angrily. He was on duty and shouldn't be sleeping. And turning on the lights and shouting had woken everyone up – the opposite of what he was arguing. What an ass. Lucy's tears stifled, petrified. Ivan stood there a moment longer, until he was satisfied with the silence and finally left them alone.

"We're not even allowed to cry?" Lucy wailed thinly.

"No, that's just Ivan being Ivan," Levy replied. "Don't worry, they're not all like that. Most of the guards are alright."

"Thank you for being so nice, Lev," the blonde sniffled back. Levy smiled, barely visible in the gloom.

"The first night is always the hardest, but that doesn't mean that the next one is going to be any fun. I'll look after you, Lu."

**===][===**

"Our lord who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done…"

"For fuck's sake, Angel! It's two in the fucking morning! Shut the fuck up, you fucking whackjob!" Minerva's angry shout did nothing to stop the quiet muttering, so she threw her hairbrush across the hall, hitting the white-haired girl in the head. With a frightened squeal, Angel stopped her prayer.

In the bunk next to Minerva, Kyouka sniggered, enjoying the display. The two women could have almost been sisters, so similar they were with their cold, vulpine features and black hair. Where Minerva's only reached her shoulders, Kyouka's flowed all the way down to the small of her back.

"Did you see the new meat?" Kyouka asked. Minerva shook her head. "She looks delicious. All blonde and bouncy. I think her name was Leanne or Luca or something."

Minerva frowned. Blonde? Bouncy? "Hey Kyou, do you mean Lucy? Lucy Heartphilia?"

"That's it!" Kyouka clicked her fingers in agreement. "Oh? Do you know her, Min?"

Minerva grinned a sickening smile. "Now that, Kyou, is very interesting news. Very interesting indeed."

**===Author's Note===**

**Well, he we go again. My new story starts, with obvious inspiration from 'Orange is the New Black' on Netflix. It's been interesting racking my brain for all of FT's female characters, and the new additions of Kyouka and Seira helped to flesh out the villain's ranks a little.**

**This fic is NOT a shipping fic at its core, though there will be obvious ties to Natsu, and some love triangle status built up there. For my regular readers, yes, Gajeel will turn up later. Half the point of this story is to write about Lucy and Levy together, and putting them in prison sort of forces me to keep Natsu and Gajeel out of the story! Expect at least experimental Yuri later on. I think that it's mandatory in a women's prison story.**

**I kind of planned a four main character idea with Erza and Juvia, but I think my poor capability of writing Juvia will mainly put her into comic relief status. I hate the fact that I can't write her better. Erza will have a reasonable role to play.**

**I'M NOT TELLING YOU THEIR CRIMES! Seriously, that's to be revealed over time. Some are more plot-related than others. Finally, (wow, this is a long A/N) the characters are about three years older her. Lucy and Levy are twenty. **


	2. The Spider in the Cage

**The Girls of Fairy Block**

**Chapter 2**

**The Spider in the Cage**

Dreams can be amazing. They can elevate you to new levels, give you experiences impossible in real life. By contrast, they can also be remarkably cruel. On her first night, Lucy dreamed of Natsu, going to one knee, taking the ring out of his pocket. She'd cried. He'd cried too, for he would be losing her soon. He'd proposed as a way to promise that he'd wait for her.

In the end, Lucy could not take the ring with her, so Natsu had promised to wear it himself, to keep it as a reminder. It just about fit on his little finger. It was a goofy idea, but it meant something to them. Then the dream had turned darker, to an older life, just a few years ago. Minerva's cruel face replaced that of Natsu.

A tangled web with the cruel spider at the centre, pulling on the strings, making Lucy dance to their tune. At last, they snapped, and Lucy fell into darkness, iron bars coming up to surround her, cage her. And still, the spider was there, in the cage. She had nowhere to run from it.

**===][===**

As morning came, Lucy awoke to find her hair matted with her own tears. It really had been a bad night, but the day that was coming began to wash it away quickly. Being alone with one's thoughts did not seem possible now. It was time to be cast out into the prison population.

The only thing to look at was Levy, sleeping across from her. She made this delightful little chirruping sound as she snored, reminding Lucy all too much of her kitty, Happy. He had blue fur too! Despite the situation that she found herself in, she couldn't help but giggle. The gentle noise woke Levy, who stretched and yawned. Lucy again pondered how this girl could be a lifer, but remembered that asking was strictly taboo.

"Good morning, Lu! How are you feeling now?"

"Um…I think I'm strangely excited to see how a day progresses around here!" Lucy responded somewhat sheepishly. Levy smiled in return, recognizing that feeling well. Every girl went through what Levy called the 'adventure phase', where prison was exciting by the simple dint of being new.

"Well, you look a little messy there, so why don't I show you the showers?"

**===][===**

Apparently, Levy always kept a spare towel if a new girl needed one. Lucy understood that the only way for the inmates to buy things was through their limited commissary, which went to show a level of kindness that Lucy had not expected to find in this place. Levy led her to the shower block and Lucy baulked.

"There's so many people going in!"

"No, that's good. You never want to shower alone, Lu. That's when you're vulnerable and anyone with a vendetta can take it out on you. If there's a lot of girls, none of them act up. It might get a bit rowdy, mind."

Taking off her clothes had never felt so uncomfortable. These were women, so why did she feel so on display? She felt a little ashamed, realising that Levy already stood naked next to her. She couldn't help but notice a faded scar on the little girl's skin – it ran for about three inches horizontally along her waist – what was that from?

"Whoa there, the new meat looks really tasty!" Cana chuckled as they entered the show, making Lucy blanch and cover her breasts with her hands.

"Oh, shut up, Cana," Levy replied good-naturedly. "Don't let the words bother you too much, Lu. It's mostly talk."

"Mostly!?"

"Mostly. This is a prison, you know. I'm not going to lie and tell you that it's all sunshine and rainbows. But rule number one to survival is to stay out of trouble as much as possible. That means that you're going to get a few bumps and bruises along the way." Seeing that Lucy was looking queasy, Levy patted her on the back. "But stick to me and Erza and we'll see you through, I promise."

**===][===**

"Juvia doesn't like it. Her curves are just in the right places."

"Juvia, leave her alone," Erza sighed, massaging shampoo into her flame-red hair. "Stop glaring across the shower hall like some kind of pervert and just wash yourself. You normally love shower time."

"It is true that Juvia likes water, but she is impossible to ignore!" Juvia ground her teeth together. "Blonde hair, big boobs and long legs are the top three items on any man's list! How can Juvia compete!? Gray will fall in love with her the second he sees her!"

"It doesn't matter! Neither you nor Lucy can date Gray! How many times do we have to tell you; he can't date an inmate. It would be illegal. If he kisses either of you, he might lose his job and even be sent to jail himself."

"Then Juvia can date him freely!" She cried, perking up at the thought.

"Yeah… except this is a woman's prison," Erza deadpanned. "He'd be miles away behind more concrete walls and iron bars. Really, Juvia, your solutions are just making worse problems!"

Juvia sighed and her shoulders slumped. She'd find a way. But, she had to make sure that Blondie over there didn't interfere first.

**===][===**

Lucy felt a little relieved with her clothes back on. With the exception of Cana continually trying to grope her breasts, it hadn't been that bad. Depressingly authoritarian and devoid of any luxury, but overall it was alright. Then Levy had informed her that it was time for breakfast.

"Oh man, are prison meals as bad as I've heard?"

"Lu, I'm not really up to date on how the outside world sees us. All I can say is the variety isn't that bad. With government guidelines and fears of lawsuits, a variety of vegetables and fruits is a relatively cheap way of keeping us all healthy. The problem is the chefs. They're all inmates, so the quality of cooking is directly proportional to the skill of our most proficient inmate."

"So… who runs the kitchen now?"

"The girls from B-Block," Erza answered, butting into the conversation as they walked through the halls. "It didn't always use to be that way, with volunteers throughout the facility. But, over time they gained more and more traction. Now, no one gets into the kitchen without B-Block's approval."

"Look, one of those rules about avoiding trouble is to not insult the food, okay?" Levy pointed out. "This is a federal prison, so our food is actually not too bad. Much better than the garbage that state gets. Also, Risley's pretty good at cooking, so we're currently in a culinary renaissance."

Both Erza and Lucy raised a brow at the small woman's choice of words.

"Look, I'm fed up of dumbing everything down," Levy groused. "We in good time fer grub. Happy now?"

Erza leaned next to Lucy to whisper into her ear. "Don't mind her too much, she's just a little repressed in here. Frankly, I wouldn't be too surprised if she was a genius." Coughing, she went on talking in a normal voice. "Breakfast is usually fine. Either it's cereal – which can't be fucked up – or it's a lucky cooked breakfast day. And that's easy, cuz it's always the same. Even a dog can learn to cook with enough repetition."

"Urgh, seeing baked beans cooked in a vat makes them look far less appealing," Levy responded with a grimace that suggested unpleasant memories.

"You're exaggerating. It's just a large fryer."

"Guys, you're not helping me here," Lucy moaned.

"Maybe if you're lucky, they'll have the duck a l'orange," Erza teased. Pleased with watching Lucy blush angrily, Erza became more serious. "Stop focussing on the food and start focussing on the people. Ninety percent of prison fights start in the canteen. It's where we're all grouped into one place and tensions can run high."

"Ninety percent? That sounds like a bull statistic, Erza!"

"The word is bullshit, Levy. You're a convict – you can swear, you know!"

"Words are weapons," Levy replied smugly. "I shan't use them poorly!"

"Shan't? Come on Levy, you're just gonna get beaten up again if you keep using words like that."

"My point is, fights also occur in the showers, the bunks, the toilets and the yard. I don't think you can say the canteen is the main place fights occur. Oh, err… I think we're scaring Lu." Indeed, Lucy had become quite pale faced during the conversation of the frequency of fights. "Come on, Lu! You'll feel better with some food inside of you!"

**===][===**

"Lucy always made me breakfast." The realisation had surprised Natsu far more than one might expect. He was beginning to understand just how much of his life had been done by Lucy. Now that he thought about it, did he know how to work the washing machine? The dryer? The oven? His hand reached slowly towards the oven's knobs, but he withdrew it quickly.

"Goddamnit Natsu, you're a fireman. The last thing you need to be doing is setting the apartment on fire." On the table top, Happy meowed in agreement. "You can shut up, you've been fed. I've gotta figure out a way to get enough nutrients to survive the next eighteen months."

Rummaging through his pockets for change, Natsu decided to go and visit the café for a fried breakfast. He would have to figure out a more permanent solution later. He sincerely hoped that Lucy was having a better morning than he was.

**===][===**

Cereal. In a bowl. With milk. This was completely normal, right? A completely normal breakfast that anyone would have at their kitchen table or in their living room or wherever. It was completely normal, just with the addition on two hundred or so convicts surrounding her. But let's not focus on those!

"Juvia is sad. Gray is not on duty this morning." The blue-haired woman slumped over her bowl, seeming to lose all energy.

"Go on, Juvia. I dare you to start a topic of conversation that doesn't involve Gray," Cana said snidely. "Just one, pleasant, normal conversation."

"Juvia doesn't see the point." Cana threw her hands up in defeat. At this rate, it'd be a miracle if Juvia made her release date. The woman was a manic obsessive looney! Trying to steer the conversation away, Levy and Erza began pointing out some of the women from the other blocks.

That severe looking woman in the kitchen was Kagura, de-facto head of operations. Not the best chef, but apparently very skilled with a knife. A fact that was most troubling considering her incarceration. Perhaps she was too skilled with a knife?

The plump lady was Riley, apparently the best chef they'd had here in years. The hyperactive one was Milliana. The popular assumption was that someone she'd murdered someone over her love of cats. It sounded a bit crazy to Lucy, but she wasn't in a position to argue. Most of the other B-blockers weren't of too much interest to the girls to bother explaining.

But the C-blockers were a different matter. The smaller woman with white hair was Angel. A certified religious whackjob if there ever was one. She spent more time listening to the voices in her head than those around her. Lucy didn't ask, but she assumed that Angel was a nickname, rather than her actual moniker.

Then there was Seira. Apparently, she was a fantasist, preferring fictional worlds to reality. Who knows what she might have done, seeing this world as irrelevant?

Lucy shivered as she saw Kyouka. Her eyes were so icy blue that she almost appeared to have no irises. Her shimmering black hair went almost down to her ass. According to the girls, she was malicious and cruel – one to avoid for sure.

Then Lucy's eyes moved to Kyouka's neighbour and her heart froze.

"Minerva," she said so softly that no one heard.

"Minerva," Erza stated. "She's the daughter of one of the guards here. She uses that to get preferential treatment. Be careful around her; she has less consequences than the rest of us, and she's nasty. She's also kind of sophisticated, so don't expect her to just hit you, but be careful. She practically runs C Block."

"I'll… I'll remember that," Lucy replied weakly. From across the dining hall, Minerva met her stare and smiled triumphantly.

**===][===**

"Come on, Juvia! It'll do you some good to get out to the yard for some fresh air. Clear your mind of all the boys running through it," Erza offered companionably. Juvia didn't look very interested. Erza sighed irritably. She wondered how to break through that shell, and get at the woman underneath.

"Don't waste too much effort on Crazy Eyes," Cana suggested. "She'll be outta here in a few months. If she gets arrested again, she'll probably be sent to the funny farm instead."

"Don't joke about that!" Erza snapped. There was one belief amongst prison folk. No matter what hell prison might seem like sometimes, it was heaven compared to psychiatric detention. Padded rooms, straight-jackets and medication. You ceased to be a human and became a drug-addled zombie. "I want to make sure that Juvia is as stable as humanly possible by the time she leaves this bloody prison."

At that point, Gray went past the door at the end of the hall. Squealing happily, Juvia scurried after him. Cana turned to Erza with lidded eyes.

"Yeah, good luck with that."

**===][===**

"Has Lu's commissary come through yet, Mira?" Levy directed the question a beautiful white haired woman who ran the small prison shop. They talked through a small window that was heavily barred to prevent theft of stores.

"Yep! All of her paperwork was in order. So, what can I do you for, newbie?"

"Oh my god!" Lucy thrilled. "Do you have chocolate bars over there!? And different shampoos!?"

"Uh-huh. Prison must seem like a miserable place, but you can spend your own money on some luxuries."

"Lu, I can see the look in your eyes, but you only get a maximum of three hundred dollars to spend a month. We need to get you set-up first. Mira, can you get Lu a jacket and some boots? Otherwise she won't be able to get outdoor time. Well, she'd freeze, anyway."

"What size feet do you have?" Mira asked, somehow accurately sizing jacket size up by mere sight. The jacket was brown leather with a warm wool lining. It had the prison logo on the breast. She then brought out the boots after getting the shoe size.

"Be grateful," Levy said mirthlessly. "They don't have clothes in my size. Everything just hangs off me."

"What about a hoodie like you've got? That'd be warmer now."

"It's about pacing yourself a bit, Lu. You can get one, but it'll cut into what you can afford later on this month. My experience has been that the first month is the one where'll you want to hold back a bit to afford a few luxuries later on, to keep you sane."

"Oh," Lucy looked a bit crestfallen. Levy cocked her head to the side, looking up at the blonde.

"Mira, can you get Lu a hoodie and put it on my commissary please?" Mira looked down at Levy for a moment. Such moments of altruism were rare within these four walls, but most of those moments did stem from the bookworm. She went to get the garment.

"Lev, I couldn't possibly…"

"Save it, Lu. It's not a big deal. Look, I'm going to use the restroom. Just wait here until I get back, okay? It's safe by the commissary – there are always guards nearby." Lucy watched Levy scurry away, feeling ashamed. As Mira brought the garment, she aired her thoughts.

"She's so nice to me. I suppose it's hard to spend three hundred dollars in a month in here, though."

Mira looked at Lucy sharply. "Three hundred dollars is the _maximum _limit. It prevents little stuck-up rich girls from getting everything they want. Levy doesn't get nearly that much. And don't forget where you are. It might not be wise to owe someone in here. Even someone as nice as Levy."

**===][===**

"Even in the desert, there can be an oasis. And this is it. My little piece of calm in an otherwise hostile world." Levy pushed open the door to reveal a tiny library on the inside. Immediately inside the door, there was a table on each side, with about four chairs each. Behind that there were six bookshelves, arranged in two rows of three with an aisle down the middle.

In many ways, it was pitiful. In a prison of two hundred, this room could hold a dozen at most. The books and shelves looked to be mostly dog-eared and old. In another way, it was the Promised Land, a place of sanity in an otherwise harsh place, as Levy had said. Lucy began to work her way down the rows, having a look at what was here.

There were basically two kinds of book here. Old, worn novels that ranged from Dickens to trashy newer stuff. They probably came from donations. And then there were textbooks that were mostly in better condition, relatively new. Lucy guessed that was some initiative to better educate the inmates. Yeah, that made a lot of sense.

From behind the shelves, Lucy heard the door open, the hubbub of the outside corridor pouring in before it shut again. To her surprise, Levy didn't greet the newcomer.

"Greet your superior, Runt." Lucy's breath caught as she recognized the voice. No… so soon?

"H-hello, Minerva. How are you today?" Levy's voice replied, clearly a little shaky.

"I am in a good mood, Runt. You see, I got some very good news. A good friend of mine has been interred here just last night. Isn't that great?" Lucy stood perfectly still as the footsteps advanced down the aisle. There was nowhere to hide. Minerva leaned on the bookshelf, studying the blonde haired woman arrogantly, clearly feeling secure in her position.

"Hello, Lucy. Are there no manners in this library today? Are you not going to greet me either? Particularly for an old friend?"

"We're not friends," Lucy stated plainly, pale-faced in fear.

"Of course we are!" Minerva purred, reaching out a hand to stroke Lucy's hair. "We're old friends. Right until the time that you screwed me, and I wound up in this dump. Still, no need for such unpleasantness. That's all water under the bridge now." 

"What do you want from me?" Lucy choked out, trying to control the primal fear this woman instilled in her.

"Eighteen months. That's how long you'll be in here. No need to rush a fine meal. We must take our time and savour each course as it comes. I am not a rash woman. I will extract everything I need from you these eighteen months, Lucy. And I promise you that you will rejoin the world, a broken husk of a woman."

**===Author's Note===**

**Aaaaaaaaaaand I've still not told you anyone's crimes! I'm such an asshole. But you guys love me for it. *prepares for a beating***

**===Replies to Reviews===**

**Cloy552:** No, she didn't… rape… what? Anyway, I won't tell you their crimes even if you torture me!

**Cuteandfierce99: **She… stole a book from the library and didn't return it!

**Ulcaasi**: At ease, soldier. Without giving too much away, this fic is set in the 'real world' so no super powers, etc – Gajeel can still be badass, but he isn't going to be blowing through prison walls.

**Guest: **Short and to the point!

**SakuraIchigoDark**: Levy stepped onto grass near a 'do not walk on the grass' sign. She's a monster.

**Kraziness kills:** Should be every Friday!

**Shizuka23:** I promise you that Gajeel will get involved. I promise.

**Lucy Ashley From Fairy Tail: **I shall endeavour to do your favourite character justice.

**Wolfgurl1318: **Erza's not a guard, she's an inmate. Did I write that so badly?


	3. Outdoors

**The Girls of Fairy Block**

**Chapter 3**

**Outdoors**

"So, this is the yard, huh?" Lucy asked, looking around. She felt good to have the boots, jacket and hoodie, for it was pretty goddamn cold in the middle of November.

"It might not look like much, but I advise getting out in the fresh air everyday as a good way to keep your sanity," Levy said, idly flicking through a book. She'd already read it a hundred times over, like most of the tomes in her library. "I don't really care for the exercise, but a lot of girls join in with Erza, if you'd like."

Across the field, Erza was leading a pack of girls in running laps around the yard. There was probably something therapeutic about following the line of the high wire fence, the limits of their freedom. Erza was several paces ahead of the rest.

"Erza's pretty fast," Lucy commented.

"Of course, she was a… ah," Levy said, stopping herself. Lucy looked down at the petite girl quizzically. "Sorry, Lu. Asking about someone's prior life isn't taboo, but it's not prudent to be volunteering information, in case Erza doesn't want you to know. Ask her though, I'm sure she's fine about it."

"What about you? What did you do before?" 

"I'm twenty years old and have been in prison for five years; you tell me what I was doing." Lucy was startled by Levy's uncharacteristically bitter tone. On top of that surprise was the exact dates Levy had just placed on herself. She'd been in here for a quarter of her life?

"You were fifteen!? What could you have done at fifteen to earn a life sentence!?" Lucy instantly regretted her outburst as Levy turned to glare up at her.

"You KNOW that question is taboo. Don't ask it ever again. Perhaps I am too little to kick your head in, but a bad habit might lead you into trouble."

"R-right. Sorry." It was strange to see the harsh expression on Levy's face. It didn't suit her and neither did the cold voice.

"Okay. Well, to answer your question, I was in school. What about yourself? You work?"

"Actually, I wasn't really working at this time… but I'm an aspiring writer, so I guess that…" 

"You're a what!?" Levy squealed, joy instantly replacing any previous emotion. Lucy had to take a step back from the intensity of it.

"I meant that I've trying to write a novel and…" Lucy watched all the joy on Levy's face flicker and die, and she followed the train of thought perfectly. There was no way for her to read it if it was out there.

"Well, that's great. Books are important. It's good that people are trying to write good novels. Half of the greats were written by dedicated amateurs."

"Um, Lev? I know the taboo question is off limits, but what about sentences? Can you tell me how long you're supposed to be in here? Because Lifer seems so vague…"

"No, most people's sentences are known. It makes a sort of game. If you know how long someone's in for, you can try and guess what they did. Take Cana for example. She's in for the next six years. The general belief is that she drove drunk and hit someone. Vehicular manslaughter generally goes for longer, so they probably survived."

"Interesting," Lucy replied, genuinely meaning it.

"Erza's three years into a ten year stint. I'd hazard a guess that was violent assault. Juvia's got less than a year. Stalking some boy, we're sure. Mira, bless her soul, actually told us what she did. As one might guess, she's so damn kind that she did nothing wrong. Arrested for peaceful protest. Four years. I have no idea how our judicial system works sometimes. Seems to help if you're white."

"You never answered my question."

Levy sighed. "I should be outta here by the time I'm seventy. Now, I see the look of shock on your face, and I can follow your train of thought perfectly. Playing the game we just played, what crime would land a little girl seventy five years of prison time? Well, there aren't too many crimes that warrant that sort of sentence, and you're a bright girl. You'll figure it out."

Lucy felt her skin crawl. Levy's positive demeanour vanished utterly when speaking of her crime. There was no light in her eyes. Was she looking at a murderer? Surely that was impossible, or at least there must have been reasonable circumstances such as self-defence. And yet… three quarters of a century!? Something was missing from that story and Lucy really wanted to know.

"You two!" Erza barked, startling the pair. "I'm not having anyone on my block get lazy. Come on, join us!"

"I can't run, I'm on my period," Levy replied, not looking up from her book.

"According to you, you've been on your period every day for the last month. Get those little legs working, Levy!" Levy sighed in defeat, clearly having had this argument before and closed her book to jog after the other girls still going around. Erza turned her gaze to Lucy.

"I'd really rather not…"

"A word of advice, new girl. Sunshine and exercise helps stave off depression. Being cooped up in their all day is bad for your health. Half an hour a day of exercise is a small price to pay for staying sane. And in there, being physically fit might save your life someday."

Gulping at the thought, Lucy decided to join in. In a few moments, Erza was already back at the head of the pack. Lucy had to wonder; just what kind of past did she have to be so fit?

**===]Flashback[===**

_The woman swung at Erza with almost insane fervour. She was about the same height as the tall red-head, but considerably broader, packed with muscle. Still, from Erza's point of view, she moved as if in molasses. A thunderous right swept past Erza's head so close that she could feel heat along her brow. But Erza was now inside her reach, a snapping right to the woman's jaw._

_The woman staggered back, off balance, but Erza didn't let up for a second, pouring on a barrage of blows that sent her head snapping left and right with alarming frequency. Blood began to fly from the merciless barrage._

"_Stop!" Erza stepped back as the referee got between them. She went to stand in the corner as the crowd's cheers fell open the squared ring. She looked over at her coach, Jerral, who was grinning as if he'd just watched hours of training bear fruition. Erza looked back to the woman, who was swaying. The ref was giving a standing ten count. At seven, she keeled over to the floor and the bell's ringing was drowned out as the crowd went apocalyptic. _

"_Your winner, by technical knockout, and still reigning Woman's Lightweight Champion; Errrrrrrrrza Scarlet!"_

_Jerral dashed into the ring carrying her title belt. Quickly removing her gloves – somehow managing to kiss her on the cheek without anyone noticing – he gave her the trophy and she held it aloft. Here, under the harsh lights of the ring, next to the man she loved, with cheers descending on her, she felt happy. Completely fulfilled._

_Suddenly, the crowd had gone silent, like the ripples of a wave passing back through the audience. Confused, Erza looked around for the source of the disturbance. A woman had approached the edge of the ring, taking a microphone from the ref._

"_Don't be too cocky there, Scarlet. I'll be taking that belt from you soon." Erza knew this woman well. Izanagi, the number two seed in her weight class. Of course she'd be up for a title match soon now that the number one seed was being carried away on a stretcher. Someone passed another mic up into the ring so that Erza could reply._

"_I'm glad that you are confident. Come at me with everything that you've got."_

"_I've seen the flaw in your style," Izanagi bragged. "It's only natural – an incompetent trainer will breed an incompetent fighter."_

"_You bitch," Erza hissed. She could take all the trash talk in the world, but no one spoke badly about Jerral in front of her. No one! Recomposing herself, she went on. "You call me incompetent, but I hold this belt. You want it? Come and get it. I'll show you just what I'm capable of."_

**===][===**

"Come on, Min," Kyouka wheedled. "What are we going to do to her? You want me to break her arm? Rape her in the shower? Or are we going PG? Cuz I'll happily flush her head in the toilet! Mess up that pretty blonde…"

"Kyou. Not now. There is no point in rushing, and no point in incriminating ourselves where possible. We have stooges for a reason, you know. The fun comes in playing the game."

"Speak for yourself. I find my fun in the snap! Hearing that bone break is just…"

"Stand to for inspection!" A deep male voice snapped. The girls of C-block hurried to their positions as the guard entered. A huge man with a grey bushy beard and a pointed nose. He advanced slowly down the row of girls, lazily inspecting their bunks. "Rumour has it that three apples have gone missing from the kitchen. But I suppose none of you upstanding ladies would know anything about that, would you? What sort of pathetic scum do you have to be to steal an apple?" He stopped in front of Angel. "You girl. Did you do it?"

"No, sir. Stealing is an affront to the Lord."

"And I suppose that you're in prison because you attended church too much, right?" The guard replied sarcastically. He went into her bunk and flipped the mattress over to check underneath and then pawed through her meagre possessions. Finally satisfied that the stolen foodstuff was not there, he marched back to her, holding her Bible. To her dismay, he opened it and ripped out the first page, crumpling it into a ball and throwing it at her forehead. The act had no meaning beyond petty vindictiveness. It was about the fifteenth page he'd done so to. Angel had lost most of Genesis.

Giemma liked to mess with most of the girls whenever he felt bored or needed to relieve stress. Angel was one of his favourite marks simply because the girl was weak in the head. He did not mess with all of the girls, however. Seira looked like she might kill someone and instantly forget about it. Kyouka looked like she'd tear out his throat with her own teeth. Then, there was Minerva.

"Good morning, Minerva."

"Good morning, father."

It was the great injustice of the prison. Giemma used every power he could to make sure that Minerva was given preferential treatment. Any girl who laid a hand on Minerva had a day in the SCU, not that she needed much protecting. Minerva was more than capable of defending herself. And considering that she'd formed an alliance with Kyouka – the most violent creature in this establishment – she almost ran things in here. In return, Kyouka enjoyed the benefits of Giemma's protection.

"Perhaps you would like to try A-block for the stolen goods, father. Lord knows that Kagura wouldn't allow any of the girls in her block take anything from the kitchen, so it's probably one of Erza's lot. Probably the new girl, testing her boundaries."

"An astute observation, Minerva. I shall convene with Ivan right away." As Ivan walked away, Minerva retrieved an apple from under her pillow and bit into it.

"Food always tastes more delicious when you work for it yourself."

**===][===**

"Ah ha! I have prepared this delicious feast all for myself!" Natsu cried triumphantly. Happy walked across the table to the plate of food and turned his nose up at the blackened charred mess of unidentifiable meat. Natsu's heart sank as he then watched the cat eat the throwaway offcuts he'd left in the sink.

"It's that bad even by _his _standards?" It was a common joke around the fire station that Natsu was more apt at burning things than putting them out. In fact, he'd become a fireman after setting his house on fire by accident as a kid. Seeing the heroes do their work had enthralled him, and he'd wanted to follow in those footsteps.

"Damn it, Luce. Was I just a child that you looked after? Is there nothing I can do by myself?" Natsu slumped down into a chair and listened to the silence in the house. The noise was unbearable for him, a person normally found amongst laughter and friendship. How many weeks had it been since Lucy had been gone? He looked at his watch. About twenty four hours.

Visiting days were once a week on Saturdays. He couldn't wait for that time to come, he needed to see her again.

**===][===**

Lucy was fairly sure that Ivan was disappointed. He'd wanted to tear her bunk apart to find these supposed stolen apples, but she had so few items to her name that there was nothing to look through. Spitefully, he'd reached across the partition to knock a pile of Levy's books over, but if anything, Lucy had heard Levy snort in amusement at the action.

"What was that, Pedo-bait!?" Ivan snarled. "Got something that you want to say?"

"Nothing sir, except to say that Lu has been with me all day. She couldn't have taken anything from the kitchen."

"You think the word of scum like you impresses me!? You're all liars."

"And still, I see no reason why you have chosen to single Lu out, of all the girls here."

Lucy was petrified. Levy didn't appear to be scared at all, but Ivan looked to be on the verge of striking her. Why was she saying so much? Bullies weren't swayed by logical arguments; Levy was only digging herself a grave.

"She has a point; why are you focussing on her?" Lucy whipped around to look at the guard who had spoken. He was much younger than Ivan, only a year or two older than Lucy. He had a very attractive face with stylish hair. His name was Gray, according to the badge Lucy could see.

"I have my reasons, Fullbuster," Ivan replied offhandedly. But, there was defeat in his eyes and Levy knew it. With the other guard present, he couldn't do anything too cruel.

"Come on, Ivan. It's just a few apples, and they've probably already been eaten by the person who took them. Probably threw the cores in the toilet. This is a wild goose chase."

"You're too soft, Fullbuster. These women aren't in here because they're kind, generous people! They're all scum, every last one of them! You have to be strict with them or they'll eat you alive!"

Gray looked briefly at the serried rows of girls, somehow missing Juvia's gushing expression. "Not in front of them. We'll talk in private. Alright girls, as you were!" As he walked past, he made a small hand gesture and smile at Lucy, assuring her that he'd go and get Ivan off of her back. Lucy smiled warmly in gratitude.

Across the hall, girls flinched as Juvia ground her teeth together in rage. Luckily, they were saved from any confrontation as two guards entered, pushing a woman with long red hair and a pallid complexion. Her expression looked lost, as if she didn't know where she was anymore.

"Flare's back from the SCU," Levy mumbled. "I hope she's okay."

"The shoe?" Lucy asked, perplexed. Levy looked up at her sharply.

"The SCU; the Solitary Confinement Unit. Look, I know that you're given a lot of rules that are supposedly the big, number one rule, but never get sent to the SCU. It's awful. It's just you and four walls – no mattress or blankets and literally mouldy food. You'll be lucky to keep your sanity."

"Have you been?"

Levy didn't answer. "Come on. I'm supposed to show you the phones."

**===][===**

Ring ring. Ring ring. Natsu's eyes flew open and he practically leapt from the sofa towards the phone. Many years as a trained fire fighter had taught him that phone calls could be life or death.

"This is Natsu."

"Natsu." The voice coming through the phone was familiar, collapsing in itself with the relief of hearing his voice. He closed his eyes, overcome with emotion.

"Lucy."

"It's so good to hear your voice."

"I… how are you? How are you coping?"

"It's only been a day. But I've met some really nice people. I don't know, I guess it really hasn't sunk in yet, you know. I think once the monotony of the days starts to kick in, I'll really start to feel it. How about you? Burnt the house down yet?"

Natsu smiled, glad to hear the familiar tone of humour in her voice.

"No… Happy's acting as head fire warden of the house while you're away." A small giggle came through the handset. "He's shit at warming your half of the bed, though. It's only a few days now until I can visit you. Do you need me to bring anything or get something? Maybe ask your dad…"

"Google. I need some information." Lucy's voice had become low and urgent. "Two names, Erza Scarlet and Levy McGarden. Search for crimes in the area. Got it? Erza Scarlet and Levy McGarden. They seem like nice people, but I want to know. I have to know who these people are."

**===Author's Note===**

**Well, there's the first flashback. I think this one will make Erza's crime rather obvious, but we'll see. And if anyone's keeping track, I use boxing a lot because I'm a huge fan of Hajime no Ippo. Not the current snail's pacing, the series overall.**

**BTW, Gajeel appears next chapter. Along with Jerral. And Lisanna. However, I may not post a chapter next week. You know, Christmas and all.**

**===Replies to Reviews===**

**Pusha: **Probably my fault, though.

**Shizuka23: **I promise no musical numbers.

**Cloy552: **Iron Dragon's Bulldozer!

**Cuteandfierce99: **I think I answered that this chapter, but Mira is in for being arrested during a peaceful protest. Exactly how peaceful, we'll find out later. She is a demon, you know.

**Kgx791: **Probably had her head in a book and wasn't paying attention. At which point, five cop cars pull up and start beating her with truncheons. "This seems a bit excessive!" "Quiet, JAYWALKER!"

**Wolfgurl1318: **I think Levy's crime will be the big reveal of this story. Probably quite obvious, but I enjoy it.

**Lexie Loves Anime: **Cana's crime certainly starts with 'I got drunk and…"

**Ulcaasi: **Kawarimi no Jutsu! Logged, bitch!

**Playgod: ** Well, I'm an English man and writing about a woman's federal prison in America. So, no, I'm not writing from experience. Just Netflix.


	4. Visiting Day

**The Girls of Fairy Block**

**Chapter 4**

**Visiting Day**

Natsu was so glad that today had finally come. It was Saturday, so he could go and visit Lucy. He could see her face again! It had only been a week, but it had felt like forever to Natsu. He could only imagine how long it had felt to Lucy.

He grabbed his car keys and went outside into the cold air. November was getting late now and winter was well and truly descending. Still, driving conditions were fine, the snow hadn't hit them yet. Although the popular opinion was that all driving conditions were poor for Natsu. He hated the implications that he was a bad driver – so what if his car had a few dings and a single wing mirror?

It was quite a long drive to Magnolia State, he realised. But for Lucy it was worth it. He'd drive to the ends of the Earth if he had to.

When he was nearing the prison, a motorcycle cut in front of him, causing Natsu to swerve. He yelled obscenities out of his window, but all he got in return was a single raised finger as the bike sped away from him.

"Bloody asshole, he's the one who should be behind bars." When Natsu pulled up at the prison car park, he saw the black Harley there too. Was that asshole visiting someone too? Well, it made sense that people behind bars would often have lowlife friends too. He got out of the car – with no extra damage, he noted proudly – and looked around for the entrance he was supposed to use.

"Over this way." He turned to see a pretty white-haired girl gesturing towards the visitor entrance. He was instantly struck by her beauty – youthful and enthusiastic – but quickly shook it off. Natsu was nothing if not loyal.

"Oh, thanks. It's my first time." He extended a hand. "The name's Natsu."

"Hi, I'm Lisanna," the girl replied, shaking his hand warmly. "My brother and I often come to visit our sister here, so we might be seeing a lot of one another."

On the inside, there was a waiting room. Lisanna made sure that he checked in with the guard – mistakes could happen – and then they took a seat. Natsu could see the biker who had cut him off. He sat with arms folded and eyes closed. He had enormously long black hair, several piercings and a leather jacket – all things which made him look like he should be on the other side of those bars.

"That's Gajeel," Lisanna whispered. "He shows up here irregularly."

"He's got an attitude problem," Natsu groused, but was at least smart enough to figure out that starting a fist fight within a prison was not particularly smart. There were a lot more people there, but the one that drew Natsu's eye was a tall, blue-haired man. He was well built and had a distinctive red sigil tattoo on his face.

"I've seen him around, but he keeps to himself," Lisanna said as Natsu asked her about him. "I think his name is Jerry or something, but I never quite caught it. He always sits with this red haired woman."

"Fair enough. Do you mind if I ask what brings such a nice young lady to a place like this? I mean, if your sister is anything like you, she can't be all that bad."

"No, Mira's the best. To shorten a long story, she was taking part in a peaceful protest. But… Mira does have a bit of a demon in her and things got a bit out of hand… man, it's embarrassing to talk about, even now."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. It's just that I think there's gotta be hundreds of interesting stories here."

"No doubt. However, most of the stories that end with prison time aren't very pleasant."

**===][===**

"Lev, aren't you coming?" Lucy asked quizzically. The smaller woman sat cross-legged on her bunk with a book. She looked up with a pained expression.

"I don't have anyone visiting me. Erza will show you the way to the visitor's room."

Erza wrapped an arm around Lucy's shoulders and half-dragged her away. "Be more careful with your questions, damn it!"

"Doesn't Lev have anyone who visits her?"

"These pair of boys - high school crushes - used to visit her, but not anymore."

"What about her family? Her parents?"

"I don't know and I don't ask. I haven't spoken to my parents in years. Sometimes you just drift apart. Leave it alone and don't bring it up again." So chastised, Lucy fell silent and allowed Erza to lead her to the visitor area, along with a number of other girls. Considering the size of the place, only a tiny percentage were going to see someone today.

The room itself was a relatively large area lined with rows of tables, each with one empty chair and the other filled by loved ones and acquaintances. Lucy saw Natsu almost instantly and ran to him. He stood and embraced her in what was the longest, most silent moment she could ever recall.

"Break it up," a guard harrumphed dispassionately, and they separated to take their seats. Natsu never let go of her hand, though.

"I've missed you a lot," he said quietly.

"Me too." It felt like they had to say it, but it also felt so woefully inadequate. 'Miss' didn't even begin to describe the hole they felt in each other's absence. But, it was hard to talk across the vast gulf the last week had opened in their lives. "Um… how have you been looking after yourself?"

"Terrible. I can't cook and I've only just figured out how to use the washing machine. But, we're not here to talk about how I'm doing."

"Please! I want to hear about how the Earth is still turning. Is Happy still after the neighbour's cat?"

"Yep. The neighbour's little girl always lets him in when he whines by the door. I think he's eating the meals of two cats. He's definitely putting on weight. There's nothing good on the TV right now. I think that the microwave is the only thing keeping me alive. The lads at the depot send their love. That's about it for me. I want to hear about you."

Lucy sighed deeply, looking down at the table. Her fingers entwined with Natsu's. "I-it's not that bad, strangely enough. Most of the girls are surprisingly nice. The food's pretty bad. I think… I think that the monotony is what'll get to me in a while. There's no variety to the days, but it's only been a week. I'm surviving for the moment."

"I'm glad. Seventy more weeks to go."

"I hate the fact that I'll miss Christmas," Lucy said with tears forming suddenly. "And the next one too! I'll miss birthdays, won't I? Oh God, what are people gonna think of me!?"

"Hey, hey," Natsu hushed. "Don't give a fuck what anyone thinks. You know that you haven't done anything wrong. That's all that matters."

"But I did though, didn't I? It was my fault…"

"Leave it alone," Natsu said forcefully. "Even if it's true, you're paying for it now. You have no reason to feel bad anymore."

"That's not how I feel though, and hush! Thinking about it, I don't want anyone here to overhear what I did. Apparently that's a big no-no. That reminds me; did you get the information I asked for? Be quiet, though!"

Natsu leaned in. "I couldn't find much information on either. But… I think that both of them are murderers."

"Both!?" Lucy was surprised. But the sentences were so different… even hearing the confirmation, it seemed wrong. Neither seemed like a murderer. There must be more information, but Natsu seemed to think that there wasn't any. He'd gotten confused with Erza because she shared a name with a pro-boxer. And Levy almost seemed to not exist.

"But, do you see the white haired woman over there? I hear that she's in for peaceful protest."

"Yes I'd heard… wait, how do you know about Mira? I never told you her name."

"Her sister told me."

"The pretty girl over there!?" Lucy exploded. "Why were you talking to a pretty girl like that!?"

"She was helping me out! What was I supposed to do; not make polite conversation?"

"I… well… I'm sorry, alright?" Lucy sighed. "I'm just a bit wound up."

"That's understandable," Natsu agreed. "But don't worry, Luce. I promised you that I'd wait for you and I meant it."

**===][===**

"Jerral, you're looking well." Erza's tone was quite clipped. She never knew quite what to say whenever she saw Jerral. Was he drifting away from her? Or did he still love her? He didn't visit every week, but in fairness, that was rare.

"I wanted to tell you that I've picked up a new boxer."

"Oh."

"The simple fact is, I need cash. I don't have a lot of skills, so I'm going back into coaching." There it was. He'd moved on. He'd find a new champion, raise her up and probably fall in love with her too.

"His name is Bacchus."

"Huh?" Erza was fairly sure that she'd never looked quite as stupid as she did then. "He's a man!?"

"Of course. The guy's a genius in martial arts, but he's gotten bored with it. Looking for a new challenge. Frankly, I'd say that he's world class. What, did you think that I'd pick up another woman after you? Love, I've coached the strongest woman in the world; anything else would be a step backwards."

"Damn you, you had me scared," she replied lightly. "Oh well, I never thought that you'd enjoy the male locker room so much!"

"First you're worried that I'm cheating on you, now you're calling me gay. Real mature there, world champ. I thought that I trained you better than that. You're keeping fit I see?"

"Of course. Every day I'm out there, running a full course. I'm not going to slack off just because I'm behind bars. Just you wait and see. The day that my sentence is over, the ring will see the return of the Scarlet Fairy!"

**===][===**

"Juvia is surprised. Gajeel doesn't come so often."

In his seat, Gajeel shifted uncomfortably. "The gang gets worried at times. We've all done stints, Juve. We know how it gets inside your head at times."

"Gajeel, Juvia knows you better than that."

"I'm stuck, Juve. I dunno, I just wanted to talk to someone, to clear my head. Also, I guessed that you'd probably gotten yourself in trouble again and wondered if you'd want to talk about it. We all know how obsessive you get."

"Juvia is not obsessive!" She cried.

"Juve." Gajeel gave her the most deadpan expression one human has ever given another.

"His name is Gray and he's tall and handsome and so kind and he-"

"Right. I take it that this guy must be a guard, since he's a man and this is a woman's prison. You know that would land both of you in trouble, right?"

"Yes, the girls keep telling Juvia. Juvia is not stupid, you know."

"No, but you're a fucking loony. I know you well enough. Juve, look at me." Gajeel waited a long moment until Juvia locked her eyes on his piercing irises. "You're a good woman. Respect yourself, for fuck's sake. He should be throwing himself at you, not the other way around."

"Thank you, Gajeel. You're so kind."

Gajeel scowled and leant back. "I'm a lot of things. Kind ain't one of them."

"Juvia wants to hear Gajeel's problem."

"It's a big problem."

"Juvia has lots of time."

"It's life, Juve. Literally, I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I never had a career exactly… but I got a job lugging around heavy equipment at the TV station. Doesn't pay much, but it's something. They assigned me to some hotshot journalist who goes into all these warzones. They sent me over with him cuz I'm one of the few with enough balls to go."

"Yes, Juvia knows this. I was worried about you when you went to Iraq."

"I just… damn it, it's stupid. Forget that I brought it up."

"I won't forget. You know how obsessive I can get," she replied with a smile. He chuckled, having his own words thrown back at him.

"I want to be a journalist."

The proclamation was so surprising that Juvia didn't respond for a full ten seconds. "You want to… what?"

"It's so cool, Juve! Seriously, half the work of being an investigative reporter is having the balls to go where no one else will go. I can do that! I ain't scared of getting shot, and I ain't scared of asking difficult questions. The problem is… the other half is fucking writing about the stuff. And I've got the writing ability of a drunken toddler."

"You could do TV reports."

"I ain't got the face for TV." That was true. With all of his piercings, he'd never land a job on TV. "Which means that I'd have to write, and if there's one thing ol' Gajeel can't do, it's write. Barely write my own damn name."

"Juvia is happy." Gajeel looked at her as if she'd gone mad – a look that she was used to. "Juvia is happy that Gajeel has a dream, and happy that she can help. Gajeel, make an appointment for next week."

"Why?"

"Not with me. I know someone who can help you. Her name is…"

**===][===**

"Runt!" Levy looked up from her table with abject fear. She was in the library, helping Kinana and Laki to study. Levy was the biggest positive influence in the prison. She ran lessons from the library to help underprivileged girls to get their basic education. Most here didn't have their basic high school education.

It was Minerva who has shouted, and as she entered, Kyouka entered too. She held the door open and gestured to Laki and Kinana. "Out. Now."

It was a cartoon depiction of speed that saw the two girls depart. Levy didn't blame them. She'd have left too, if she could. Kyouka closed the door. Outside, Levy could see Giemma stand guard. Oh, bloody bollocky hell, this was going to be bad. Kyouka stayed by the door – the only exit. Minerva slunk into a seat. Levy wondered if she should sit too.

"Minerva, what can I do for…"

"Silence."

"Yes. Immediately."

"Levy, you are bunkmates with the new girl, Lucy Heartphilia, correct?" It wasn't really a question, Levy decided, and simply nodded in agreement. "I want you tell me everything that you know about her."

The simple fact of the matter is that Levy knew next to nothing about Lucy. She was a twenty year old aspiring author and had a boyfriend named Natsu who was a fireman. That was literally it. She could extrapolate a few more things, but nothing concrete. But, was Minerva going to take that truth as an answer? Probably not, so time to double down.

"Nothing that I want to tell you," Levy replied with absolutely no confidence. In response, Minerva grinned wolfishly.

"I'm not angling for information, you pathetic… err, Kyouka?"

"Pathetic malformed, boobless runt?"

"Thank you. You do so have a way with words. I'm trying to inform you of Lucy. Of her past. Did you know that she comes from a very wealthy family? She's the heir to the Heartphilia organisation, one of the most powerful companies in the whole world."

"No. At least, I didn't know, but I'm not stupid," Levy replied, surprising Minerva. "Heartphilia is not a very common name and the organisation always appears in the business section." Levy gestured to a stack of newspapers on the shelves – generously donated from some of the nicer guards after they were done with them. "I don't see how that's relevant to anything. We all have a past before we came in here."

"Shut up!" Minerva snapped, silencing the smaller woman with sudden fear. "What past did you have!? You're a nobody, sent to prison before you were even an adult. You have no past and no future, so shut the fuck up. My point is reasonably simple, you underdeveloped scum. Most of the girls in here are quite poor, the underprivileged sort. They don't like rich girls very much, do they?"

"I can't help how stupid people are. If they want to hate her because she's rich, that's their choice. I don't see what this has to do with me."

"I see; I've been too kind. Kyouka, to her knees." Levy squealed as Kyouka grabbed her by her neck and kicked her legs out, forcing her to the floor. She didn't release her. Minerva leaned forward in her chair to come closer to Levy's face. "You haven't asked how I know this."

"Y-you read the paper too…"

"No, I know Lucy. In fact, we were best friends growing up."

"T-that's not possible. She's kind, and you're an absolute – kyah!" Kyouka tightened her grip before Levy could finish that particular thought.

"That's just the thing. I know the real Lucy Heartphilia. I wanted to warn you, my dear friend. Lucy is just like me. I know that I am no saint. I am cruel and I love it. And I was that woman's best friend. You'll want to watch yourself around her; she'll destroy you as surely as I would."

"No, you don't care for my well-being. Why are you telling me this?"

Minerva smiled. "Kyouka, we're leaving. I've got what I need."

"You sure? You don't want me to snap a few bones? Come on, these arms are like twigs! It'd be so easy!"

"Maybe later, Kyou. Leave her be for now." Disappointed like a puppy without a bone, Kyouka released Levy, but pushed her over spitefully. She made a gesture that suggested that she planned to revisit Levy at some point. Some devil inside of Levy made her retort.

"You wouldn't dare. You're scared of Erza."

"What was that!?" Kyouka snapped, wheeling back around. "I'll break you in two!"

"Kyouka!" Minerva shouted. "I've ordered you to leave!"

Kyouka glared murder back at Minerva, but consented to leave. Giemma stayed by the door for a few minutes, letting the two girls get away. The second they were out of his sight Kyouka grabbed Minerva and slammed her into the wall.

"You don't ever order me like that again! I follow you because it's fun and it suits my purposes. But I will not tolerate someone disrespecting me like that ever again. Not for you, not for anyone. If I catch the runt alone, I'll kill her. And if Erza gets in my way, I'll kill her too. I'll kill you. I'll kill guards! You understand me!?"

Minerva nodded slowly. She understood her very well. Kyouka released her and prowled away, fuming, probably to torture Angel for some relief. In truth, Minerva was glad. She needed an attack dog, not an equal partner. But, she'd have to watch her back. Not that she didn't know that already. But the day that she decided she wanted Lucy Heartphilia to die, it would happen. Kyouka wouldn't even blink at the command.

**===][===**

Lucy was sleeping well that night. Seeing Natsu again had put her at a little more ease. After she'd come back, Levy had seemed a bit withdrawn. She hoped she wasn't still annoyed about the morning's faux pas. During the night, she was woken by a terrible screaming.

It was Levy.

In her slumber, she twisted and writhed, screaming as if the spectre of death chased her. Erza dashed across the hall while Lucy looked on in shock. She grabbed Levy and hugged her closely to her body. The small woman was crying her eyes out.

"Hush, you're safe now," Erza said softly.

"The blood, I can't get it off of my hands," Levy wept, her small body shaking with her tears.

"It's okay. It's all in the past now. You're here and you're safe."

"I didn't mean to…"

"I know."

Girls crowded around, looking on with concern. Lights flared on and Ivan trudged into the hall, making everyone except Erza scurry back to their bunks. "Why the fuck am I woken up again? Why does Pedo-bait insist on having these screaming fits? We should just ship her out to psyche or something."

"Ivan. Fuck off. Now." It might seem surprising for a guard to take an order from an inmate, but staring into Erza's fury laden eyes, Ivan wisely decided on discretion and left with a miserable parting insult to cover his pride.

"I-is she okay?" Lucy asked shakily.

"This happens every month or so," Erza said gently, stroking Levy's hair. "Some memory of whatever it was that got her sent in here, the poor thing. Hush little baby, don't say a word. Momma's gonna buy you a mocking bird…"

Lucy laid back down, listening to Erza sing. She'd make a wonderful mother someday. But now, Lucy was scared. Just what was it that had Levy in here? What had happened to her to kill someone?

**===]Flashback[===**

_For what had felt like an eternity, Levy's life had been full of terrible noise. Screaming and smashing. She'd been crying, begging for it to end. Then it had all gone eerily silent as the other person slumped to the floor. Crimson liquid gushed out over the kitchen tiles. Levy collapsed to the floor, trembling. _

"_Momma?" She asked quietly, shell-shocked. Her eyes looked downwards to her own blood-stained hands, clutching the kitchen knife that had killed her mother. In a fit of terror, she threw the knife aside and it skittered over the floor. She rushed over to the sink and turned the tap on to full. She tried to wash the blood off of her hands and kept washing long after she'd gotten it off._

"_It's not coming off!" She cried in her distress. "Why won't it come off!?"_

_She retreated into the corner, curled up into a ball and cried._

**===]Author's Note[===**

**Look, I didn't beat up Levy this time! She just got pushed over! Stop judging me!**

**===]Replies to Reviews[===**

**Playgod: **My lips are sealed.

**Cloy552: **A belated Merry Christmas to you too!

**Cuteandfierce99: **I resent the implication that I would torture my characters! *looks shifty*

**Lexie Loves Anime: **Maybe…

**Lilian062: **No, she's not a drug dealer, unless books are drugs

**SakuraIchigoDark: **I keep trying to find space to cram Seira in…

**Ulcaasi: **HE HAS ARRIVED! *guitar riff*


	5. An Escape from this Place

**The Girls of Fairy Block**

**Chapter 5**

**An Escape from this Place**

**The topic of religion is brought up for two reasons. Because it has a place in a prison, and to position Angel as a character. Any views expressed within belong to the characters making them and are not meant to cause offence.**

"And the Lord did send two bears to Elijah, to defend him from this cruel mockery…" The preacher leading the sermon in the prison chapel was called Byron Cracy. He was a middle aged man with a neatly trimmed greying beard. Pews were packed with inmates, almost everyone here, save those with other religious affiliations. Angel sat at the very front, listening with rapt attention.

"Oh, come on!" Lucy whispered to Levy. "No one believes that, surely!?"

"Shush!" Levy replied urgently. "Not here!"

"But bears!? Because children called him bald? What sort of bible story is that?"

"Shut. Up. Not everyone here shares your rich girl upbringing! Some people here have never had anything and their faith in the Lord keeps them going, so shut up! More so, some people in here are nasty enough to hurt people who don't share their faith, so… shut up."

"Who is talking in the house of the Lord!?" Byron bellowed. "Who believes their word more important than the Holy Scripture!?"

"Sorry!" Levy cried loudly, pressing down hard on Lucy's hand to prevent her speaking.

"I see," Byron replied with a smile. "You're the 'educated' girl. Think you're too good for the Lord! Perhaps if you had been taught more of the Lord's loving discipline, you wouldn't have wound up in prison, eh? Perhaps if your parents had raised you properly with an understanding of consequences, you wouldn't be scum!"

"Hey, now!" Lucy's words were cut off as Levy jumped up and clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Sorry, father! Lu's just new and adjusting! She told me that her church had more open dialogue; she'll learn to be quiet! Sorry for the interruption!" Levy whispered urgently as the priest's attention went back to his bible. "If Angel doesn't kill you for this, Lu, I will!"

Lucy looked up to the front, where the white haired girl was staring daggers back at her. She gulped, feeling a little nervous. Angel did not look like the most mentally stable inmate here.

"Now, where was I? Ah yes, Elijah. So, you can see that the Lord's wrath can be direct and swift, and utterly terrible. But it also true that the Lord's forgiveness is absolute, even for you filthy sinners and heretics. Even if society turns their back on you, the Lord will not. Now, turn your prayerbooks to page 36 and we'll pray together, to save your immortal souls."

**===][===**

"What a crock! We have to listen to that every week!?" Lucy raged. "I mean, I'm no great theologian, but that guy was not talking about the bits of Bible I've heard about! Does anyone even read the Old Testament anymore?" 

"I think they're called the Jews," Levy replied in a deadpan voice. "And didn't Erza warn you about this? In these four walls, you pretend. You get on your knees and you swear fealty to the ceiling. And frankly, I'm insulted that you assume that I don't believe."

"Do you?"

"Well, no. But that's not the point. I don't know what happens after we shuffle off this mortal coil any better than anyone else. And this place can be such a hellhole that I can't blame anyone for wanting to believe that it gets better for them later if they just believe. And what part of shut the hell up are you not getting? Angel will claw your eyes out if she overhears this conversation."

"Oh please, she's tiny."

"Not from my point of view!" Levy protested. "Did you see what she did to Chelia?"

"Who?"

"She's a girl from B-block. She cuts a lot of girls' hair here. Turns out that she's a Buddhist. So, Angel pinned her to the ground and cut all of her hair off. That got her a month in the SCU. And a month alone with the voices in her head did not stabilize her sanity, Lu. Not at all. I'm not joking."

"Come on, Lev. This place is bad enough without me having to pretend to believe in things that I don't. I'm not scared of one girl."

"It is not 'one girl'!" Levy shouted, becoming quite cross. "Don't you get it!? This is America! Hell, we're not that far north of the Bible Belt! You go up before a parole board, do you have any idea how much praise you'll get for being a good little church-goer!?"

"N-no…"

"Then maybe you'll be quiet and listen to me." Levy looked like she was about to leave, but spoke once more. "Stay away from Father Cracy. He's the worst sort of fire and brimstone preacher. He's actively made my life harder by banning literature from my library. Stay away from him. If he ever speaks to you, nod and agree to anything he says. Doing otherwise will make your life a lot harder."

**===][===**

"Stay away from her."

Minerva looked up at Erza in surprise. It was rare for an outsider to enter C-block's bunks. It was even rarer for someone to confront her. For both to happen, it was the rarest… actually, Minerva didn't think that it'd ever happened. Ever. She stood from her bunk to face the redhead. A crowd watched warily from a safe distance.

"I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. It sounded like you were giving me an order."

"Let's call it friendly advice, shall we? Levy told me that you went to see Lucy last week in the library. Seems like you two have some history. I don't care and I'm not going to dig. But then Levy turns up with a couple of bruises, and I have a problem. Whatever your beef with Lucy is, leave Levy out of it."

Minerva's mouth pulled into a small smile. "Of all the things I thought I'd hear fall out of Erza Scarlet's mouth, this was not one of them. You're not warning me to stay away from Lucy? You're leaving the new girl to rot?"

"You know as well as I do that I can't jump into the history you two share. I don't care, frankly and my responsibility lies more with Levy. I won't order you anything, but just know this, Levy McGarden is under my wing, and I will protect her from anyone. Anyone."

"So, it's a warning then? You know, you're a very brave woman."

Erza leaned forward. "I'm a champion boxer. You know what that means? I've never met a woman that I couldn't beat the shit out of. You'd do well to remember that."

The redhead turned to leave. Minerva smiled cruelly. The thing about a boxing ring is that it had rules. In here, Minerva could play as dirty as she wanted. Erza posed a minor threat to her, nothing more. Before she left, Erza called over her shoulder.

"Still, while I won't warn you away from Lucy, I can't promise that if Lucy gets hurt that I won't become angry. And the last time I became angry… well, I'm here, aren't I?" Erza then left, leaving Minerva to ponder the very obvious threat behind those words.

**===][===**

The next week, Natsu turned up to the prison as normal. He was disappointed not to see Lisanna around this week. Hadn't she mentioned something about sharing visits with her brother? He looked around for someone who could possibly be related to her, but the closest he could find was this hulking brute of man who shared her hair colour. No way was he related to that little slip of a woman. His stomach growled and the giant of a man turned to him with blank curiosity.

"S-sorry, just not been eating so well since my girl got put inside!" He said lamely.

"A Man can cook for himself," the giant replied harshly. "My sisters taught me that."

Natsu pondered the idea of women teaching manly things, but chose to ignore it for the more obvious information supplied. "Sisters? You wouldn't be talking about Mira and Lisanna, would you?"

"I am Elfman," he said with a nod.

"I'm Natsu. I met your sister last week. It was my first time and she helped me out."

Suddenly, Elfman became intense, staring at Natsu like a wounded animal. "Are your intentions with my sister honourable? I won't allow anyone who isn't as manly as me date my sister!"

"N-no! I mean that I'm visiting my fiancée, I have no intentions with your sister! I swear!" Natsu replied quickly and nervously. Elfman nodded, making a comment that loyalty was manly. At that point, Natsu heard the familiar roar of a motorcycle pull up outside.

**===][===**

"So, you're… what was your name again?"

Levy looked up at the man before her irritably. She'd come to the visitor's room at Juvia's behest. The other girl was playing her cards close to her chest, but Levy was glad to have someone new to talk to. Still, it was hard to see what she might have in common with this brutish-looking thug. "My name is Levy, Gajeel. Why did Juvia want me to meet you?"

"She didn't tell you?" Gajeel asked, looking obviously surprised.

"I think Juvia was enjoying herself. She wanted to put me on date. Lord knows that boys are the only thing that she thinks about. So, Gajeel, explain to me the problem you have."

"This is stupid. I'm wasting your time…" He stood, preparing to leave.

"No." Levy reached forward to grab his hand. "Please. I have time."

Looking into her large brown eyes for a moment, Gajeel hesitated and sat back down. "Fine. I guess it can't hurt. Look, this is a bit difficult for me to talk about. I ain't good with words. I… I want to be a journalist."

Levy cocked her head with an expression of wry amusement. "You're bad with words and want to be a journalist? That sounds like a bad combination."

"I told you that this was…"

"No! I'm sorry. Please go on. What exactly is the problem? I mean, are you completely illiterate, or are you just hackneyed?"

"What the fuck does hackneyed mean!?"

"Um, like cliché. It comes from an area in London, England called Hackney, which…" 

"Holy shit, you are a wordy little thing, aren't you!?"

"I am good with words, yes," Levy replied with a little pout. "I'm not ashamed of that, no matter how many people put me down for it. And that sounds like what you need. A pen pal, if you will. No, a ghost writer. You go out there and do the legwork and then I can write it up for you. It may surprise you, but we are allowed pen and paper in here, you know."

"I know. Well, it was that way in Phantom State."

Levy's eyes widened. "You've been in prison?"

"Coupla times. Minor theft and assault mostly. No big deal." He shrugged the comment off like it didn't mean much to him. "The timing might be difficult. News is kind of an up to the moment sort of thing, you know."

Levy frowned. "Do you have an e-mail address?"

"Uh… yes?" He used it for registering to porn sites.

"Don't ask too many questions, but I can access a computer. If you give me your address, I'll send you an e-mail. That way, we can keep in constant contact. Don't quit your day job. Instead, what we'll do is set up a blog for you. You send me the information and I'll post it there. If we gain enough traffic, it'll help you get considered for another job."

"Wow." Gajeel was genuinely impressed. "You thought of that much this quickly? You must be really smart."

"I have many flaws, but I like to think that my brain is not one of them," Levy replied, seemingly unused to being praised. "This works out well for the both of us; you get your name out there, and I get to alleviate my boredom. An equitable trade."

"…equitable?"

"Oh, for heaven's…"

**===][===**

"Mow."

"I forgot to buy any cat food, alright?" Natsu said loudly, not liking the judgmental glare his cat was giving him. Happy jumped down from the table and headed to the catflap, no doubt to visit the neighbours for food. Good, at least one of us will get fed, Natsu thought.

He hated the afternoons now, darkness drawing in early in the winter, with no one to make it warm or loud. It felt oppressively quiet. So, when the door knocked, he almost jumped out of his skin. Jeez, who would that be? He opened the door to be greeted by an odd sight.

It was the girl he'd met at the prison, Lisanna. She stood there with a big smile and a bag of groceries. Behind her, face set like the grim reaper was her brother. If looks could kill a man, Natsu would be dead right now.

"L-lisanna? Why are you… _how _are you here!?"

"Oh, don't worry. Nothing too creepy, I just saw your address on the register the guard keeps at their desk. Brother Elf said that you'd not been eating well, so I thought I'd pop by and make you dinner!" With those words, Lisanna happily pushed past Natsu, leaving him to look up at Elfman.

"H-hi, I guess."

"I'm here to make sure that you don't take advantage of my sister."

"I told you…"

Elfman drooped. "I'm here because Lisanna ordered me to, alright? It's not manly, but I'm here. She wants us to make new friends."

"Well, come in then!" Natsu replied, suddenly cheerful. "I have a lot of room for friends! The more the merrier! Particularly if they know how to cook!"

Lisanna emptied her ingredients over Natsu's kitchen counter. What followed was an intensive lesson in how to cook, on how to hold a knife, how to prepare the ingredients. Natsu learned diligently, for Lisanna was a good teacher. Also, because he was afraid Elfman would step in if he didn't pay attention. In the warmth and joy of having friends, he forgot how alone he was for the moment.

**===][===**

The prison's commissioner was an elderly man known as Makarov Dreyar. He was a kindly old man who saw his inmates as stray children who needed to be looked after. Unlike a lot of the guards here, he saw past the fact that they were criminals to see the good in them.

In particular, he'd taken a shine to the little Levy McGarden, who was the clearly the sweetest girl in existence. He couldn't do much to protect her from the harsh realities of prison life, but he often allowed her access to his office if she needed an escape.

An office that contained a computer with an internet connection.

"I've never been very good with these blasted contraptions," he admitted, watching Levy fly through a few screens quickly. "Bit after my time, don't you know? So… what are you doing now?"

"Entering your password," Levy explained patiently. "See? There's a box for a username – that just tells the site that it's you and not someone else, and a box for your password so that only you can access it. And… voila! There's your e-mails! Now, they sent you this new timesheet here…"

Levy helped Makarov go through his daily chores. Once she was done, he allowed her a little personal time to browse, seeing no harm in it. The girl deserved a little respite with the hand life had dealt her. Levy still acted secretly. Makarov would probably not be happy to know she was communicating with the outside world. She quickly set up an e-mail account, easily remembering Gajeel's address. Hardasiron666 . She tried not to question the implications of that name.

She quickly fired off an e-mail to him so that he'd be able to contact her. Now, she had to play the waiting game, but who knew? Maybe this would be fun! Writing for the common man to read. Maybe she'd enjoy that a lot.

**===Author's Note===**

**I hate the fact that I have to put a disclaimer in about religion, but I have to. The main point of bringing it up will be about Angel. If you've watched 'Orange is the New Black' you'll know which character I'm basing her on. I hope no one is offended by it, I just want a religious lunatic in my fic!**

**So, Gajeel has arrived. I hope that makes the fan girls happier. **

**===Replies to Reviews===**

**Playgod:** Maybe… I shall not reveal the full details for a while.

**KS: **Thanks!

**Manticore girl071134: **She's the only lifer out of the main cast, but the prison does have more. Kyouka is also a lifer.

**Ulcaasi: **I don't know if you ever check, but I do make the alterations that you point out. I appreciate them.

**SakuraIchigoDark: **Jailbreak… Erza walks up to the door and asks to leave. I wouldn't say no to her!

**Cloy552: **Hopefully that's a little different from a writing lesson.

**Lexie Loves Anime: **It's a prison fic! She couldn't exactly have a happy backstory!

**Cuteandfierce99:** I'm an awful person, I know. The physical torture come next week! :D

**Guest: **Thanks!

**BookProf01: **I wasn't thinking of that specifically, but I know that it wasn't original.

**KittyKatBite: **Apart from the absurdly long intro, it's great, so you should watch it!

**Lucy Ashley From Fairy Tail: **Levy went to juvie until she was 18, then moved to this prison.


	6. Trapped

**The Girls of Fairy Block**

**Chapter 6**

**Trapped**

It had been a couple of weeks since Lucy had joined the prison. December had come and the nights were drawing in very quickly these days. Mostly, she'd become accustomed to prison life. Minerva hadn't bothered her since their earlier meetings. She'd had enough time to get used to the routine and the faces around her.

Overall, it wasn't so bad. The monotony could be crushing at times, and she missed her friends and family. Natsu in particular. But, she saw him every week without fail, and that was something. The weekly sermons were boring as hell and the yard was becoming less attractive with the encroaching cold, but life was alright.

She owed a lot of that to her new best friend, Levy. While they'd had a few arguments to begin with, Lucy saw that as her own fault for not being accustomed to how one should act in prison. Now, they were thick as thieves and went everywhere together. They shared a passion for reading and Levy had gone through almost every book in the library with her. She tried to give Lucy space to write, but currently she felt too stifled to write anything, much to the blunette's disappointment.

Of course, being together a lot had started a few rumours. One day, they were showering as normal when Cana suddenly pounced on Lucy, grabbing at her breasts.

"H-hey, Cana! What are you doing?" Lucy squealed, red faced.

"Oh? I just wanted a feel, to see what they tasted like. I mean, they're so big and Levy clearly seems to like them, so there must be something really great here." A moment passed after Cana spoke before her words sank in.

"What!?" Levy squealed, becoming as red as Lucy. Her hands flew up to cover her tiny breasts in a defensive posture. "What do you mean that I like them!?"

"I mean that you two are an item now, right?" Cana stopped molesting Lucy to stand behind Levy. The petite girl tried to ward of the tall brunette, but she managed to grasp her breasts easily. "I can see how Lucy would like you too. Small, but pert and perfectly formed."

"What are you going on about!?" Lucy demanded hotly.

"You two," Cana replied languidly, practically lifting Levy off of the ground. "You're an item now, right? Lezzers. Gone feral. No one blames you, it happens to the best of us. So, which one is the domme, and which is the sub? I mean, Levy's gotta be the sub, right?"

Lucy's mouth worked silently, unable to form words. Erza called across the shower. "Cana, leave them alone."

"Thank you…"

"It's no one business but theirs what they do with their free time."

"Erza!" Levy cried, flushing harshly. "We're friends, only! Lu has a fiancée!"

"Yes, and Levy is dating Gajeel now," Juvia pointed out. "But Juvia is glad that Lucy focusses on her newfound lesbian relationship than Gray."

"I am not dating… I mean that… lesbian relationship!? Mou!" Levy shouted, unable to articulate herself well.

"It's no shame, we all need intimate contact from time to time," Cana said sagely. "In fact, you two look like a perfect fit, see?" She pushed Levy into Lucy, wedging her face in Lucy's ample chest.

"Cana, I have never hated anyone more than I hate you right now," Levy said, her voice muffled by Lucy's mammaries. Lucy and Levy were rewarded by the shower room bursting out into laughter. They scurried away quickly to get dressed.

**===][===**

"Can you believe them!?" Levy huffed as she strode down a corridor with an angry walk. "Saying that we were a couple."

"I know! It's so rude," Lucy agreed.

"I mean, there's no way you'd be interested in me," Levy went on.

"Yeah, and I…. what? Why wouldn't I be interested in you?" Lucy asked, confused.

"Well, I was just thinking that you're way out of my league," Levy opined. "I mean, you're blonde, beautiful and have a really sexy figure. By comparison, I'm flat as a pancake, my hair's a mess and I'm so short. You could do much better."

"But… no! I'm the one who couldn't get you! You're far too clever compared to me, and your physique is adorable! I always feel like clothes never fit me, but you'd look good in anything! And, dat ass!"

"Lu, this got weird, real fast."

"Yeah, it did. Pretend it never happened, Lev?"

"Yep."

**===][===**

Another week came and went and visiting time was upon them. Lucy ran up to hug Natsu briefly, giving him a good squeeze before the guards decided they should break it up. As she sat down, she held his hand happily.

"You're looking well," Lucy said.

"Well, I've finally been eating decent meals for the first time since I've been alone. And… I've not burned the house down once! I did set a tea towel on fire, but dowsed it before it suffered any real, lasting damage, so that doesn't count."

Lucy stared at Natsu for a long moment, fearing for the wellbeing of her house. Hopefully it'd still be standing in seventeen months' time. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "So, where does this new found culinary ability come from? I doubt you bought a cookbook, so been watching too many cooking shows on TV?"

"No, Lisanna's been helping me to learn."

A moment passed silently, where Lucy drummed her fingernails on the table.

"Who?"

"Lisanna?" 

"And just who is this Lisanna? Why haven't I heard of her before?"

"I told you about her two weeks ago!" Natsu protested. He pointed discretely across the room to where Lisanna was speaking to Mira. "Maybe I didn't mention her name…"

"So, you're telling me that while I'm in a here, you're inviting a beautiful woman our age over to our house!?" Lucy shouted – quietly. "What the hell!?"

"No! She invited herself over!"

"She's _pursuing _you!?"

"No! Well, yes, but her brother was there too, the entire time. I swear Luce, nothing bad is going on." You know, because Elfman would break my bones… "We're just two friends who have met over a common… thing?"

"Thing? You mean this damned place," Lucy groused, though she was aware that she wasn't being particularly fair. Then again, wasn't she entitled to be a little unfair, being in here? Because Natsu wasn't lonely at all. Shut up, brain, I don't want to hear your sense. "Fine, just don't burn the goddamned house down."

"You got it!" Natsu replied with a big grin and his fingers crossed.

**===][===**

Across the hall, Levy was meeting Gajeel again. She was aware that some of the girls were giving her knowing looks. Well, screw them. They couldn't simultaneously rib her for having a boyfriend and being in a lesbian relationship, could they? Since they'd first met, Levy had created a blog for Gajeel. Then, he'd e-mailed in his first scoop.

There was a senator who'd been accused of some dodgy, underground dealings. Gajeel had snuck onto his property and rooted through his trash until he found some evidence that strongly suggested that it was true. Attaching photos to the e-mail, Levy had written it up and posted it online.

"Over a million views on our first story," Gajeel said with amazement. "I never expected that much."

"That's the power of proper grammar and spelling," Levy replied smugly. "Not to mention knowing how to rope in the customers."

"Are you kidding?" Gajeel replied. "I'm no genius, but don't these sort of sites have all these common words and tricks to make you click? Like people who post a video on Youtube with Naruto and loads of numbers in the description so it shows up no matter which episode you were searching for?"

"God, I hate those people so much."

"Me too, but if we did stuff like that, we'd get more views, right? You know, ads that say 'you'll be shocked when you see the rest of photo' or 'local mum invents anti-wrinkle secret; doctors hate her'?"

Levy shook her head. "No, I won't forgo my integrity for such cheap marketing. We'll post good news articles, well written. That will gain us a strong, loyal fanbase who will keep coming back and more importantly, will raise our – or rather your – standings within the field. It'll help you get job offers."

"I guess that makes sense, but the title of the blog is bothering me a little. I mean, you might be good with words, but your naming sense isn't very good. I mean, the Red Fox?"

"What do you mean?" Levy asked, puffing out her cheeks. "It's your surname. I just changed it to something more literal. After all, you're pawing through garbage like a feral dog anyway."

"I know it's my blasted surname… what do you mean; 'feral dog'!?"

"Look, stop worrying about the name and worry about getting stories. The site will live or die depending on the quality of stuff that we can post to it. I just want you looking up big, really important stuff. In the meantime, I can scour the net and post and minor pieces we need for the site to tick over."

"This is my livelihood we're talking about here," Gajeel growled. "It's not just an exercise for you to have fun writing. I want the password to the blog so I can edit stuff if I need to." To Gajeel's surprise, Levy shook her head. "No!? What do you mean, no!?" 

"Because you're an idiot who'll ruin it. This was the deal, you do the legwork, and I'll do the brainwork. Let's not go trying to change the deal now. Right now, the blog technically belongs to me. So, if you want access, you'll have to come and see me every once in a while."

"Are you blackmailing me!?" Gajeel stammered, unable to believe his ears.

"Me!?" Levy asked, pouting. "No, I'm far too cute to do something bad like that!"

Despite himself, Gajeel smiled. So, the kitten had claws. Just the way he liked it.

**===][===**

"So, who's tall, dark and handsome?" Lucy asked, elbowing Levy as they walked back from the visitor hall. Levy's cheeks flushed almost instantly.

"It's nothing like that, and handsome? Really? I hadn't noticed," she replied, very quickly, her little heart hammering away.

"So, what is it, then?"

"T-that's… a secret," Levy replied lamely. She could hardly let Lucy know that she was able to use Makarov's computer. The second that rumour spread, it was lights out for her. Unfortunately, that let Lucy's imagination run wild and she teased Levy endlessly on the way to the library.

They went inside and Levy flicked the lights on. This gave them a good view of who waited for them– Minerva and Kyouka. They looked back to see Giemma close the door behind them, leaving them alone with the two C-Blockers.

"Hello, Lucy," Minerva said in a low voice. "It's been a while since we last spoke."

"What do you want!?" Lucy demanded with a confidence that she didn't feel. "We have nothing to talk about!"

"Talk!?" Minerva laughed shrilly. "Silly girl; we're not here to talk. We're here to hurt you. The only question is which one of you? To show you just how bleak this prison is, and to show you how good your friends are, I'll let the Runt decide." Minerva turned to regard Levy balefully. "You understand what's happening, don't you?"

"Yes," Levy said sombrely, her head hung. "Please… take Lu and not me."

"Levy, what are you-"

"You heard the runt, Kyou. Please have fun." Lucy's head whipped around as the tall, black haired woman advanced on her. Now more that ever, her icy blue eyes were like a demon's, devoid of human emotion, and in that moment, she knew that Kyouka was a murderer – a sociopathic killer.

"Close your eyes, Blondie. This'll be over soon."

And then Kyouka began to hurt Lucy. Levy turned her head away, shaking in fear, trying to block out the sounds. But Minerva grabbed her and forced her to watch as her friend was brutalised. Kyouka was very thorough, and clearly loved every minute of it. At last, she was finished, stepping away from Lucy's prone form. Noticing some blood on her hand, she walked over and wiped it on Levy's face, her mouth split in an evil grin.

Then, they just left. Just like that, they were gone. Levy stood still, no fool. She knew what was coming. She hoped that Lucy would understand that out of this deal, Levy had picked the worse option – that she'd been trying to save her friend from what was about to happen.

Giemma entered the room again, taking stock of the situation. A moment later, Levy was hurled to the floor, Giemma's weight on her back, pinning her hands to her body.

"Help!" He cried. "There's been a fight!"

Moments later, Gray and Ivan hurried into the room, taking in the situation with surprise. Ivan was not privy to Giemma's little scheme and was amazed to see what he saw, but he was old, wise and cruel enough to understand what had happened. Gray was not.

"No way, Levy couldn't have done this!"

"Silence, brat!" Giemma barked. "This one is going to have to pay for this!" He leaned down next to Levy, his breath heavy on her face. "Get ready for the SCU, girlie. You're going there for a long time!"

**===Author's Note===**

**Look, this is a prison fic, alright? It wasn't going to be about sunshine and daffodils. Stop judging me!**

===Replies to Reviews===

**Playgod: **All for the love triangle…

**Guest: **Maybe. I have a role for him, not sure if it'll ever come up.

**Cloy552: **Yep, this isn't perfect.

**SakuraIchigoDark: **I liked that information.

**Cuteandfierce99: **Surprise, it was Lucy!

**Dawn: **All in due time.

**Y: **Erza has more to come.

**Lexie Loves Anime: **He has a Y chromosome, of course he's a pervert.

**Teaganscarlet:** Yes, but not them.

**Ulcaasi: **You called her a munchkin, that's so mean!


End file.
